Mukul Rathi (‘12)

International Alumni Profiles

Degree: M.S. in Electrical EngineeringNative Country: India

Why NYU Tandon?
Why would I want to study anywhere else? NYU is known throughout the world for its research and scholarship, particularly in the field of networking. And besides the name recognition and academic excellence, it provided a chance to live in New York City! I was accepted at several other schools, but my choice was easy.

Was it hard adjusting once you arrived?
Not at all. I had a lot of guidance and support from everyone at the school, so finding a place to live and settling into my classes went very smoothly. In the end, I was one of only two students in my department to graduate in 2012 with a 4.0 average.

What has your career been like?
You hear about a lot of Tandon students getting job offers before even walking the stage at graduation, but I had a solid offer before even starting my final semester of classes. I had attended a career fair at the school and met with AllianceBernstein, a leading investment management and research firm with offices in more than 50 countries. I started there immediately after graduation as a network associate, and now I’m the head of an eight-person off-shore team whose members ensure that day-to-day operations run smoothly. We’re on call 24-7, so I’m grateful to have really wonderful people working for me.

How did your Tandon education prepare you for success?
In one of the most valuable classes I took, engineers came in from IBM to discuss cloud computing, and I gained a lot of practical knowledge from them. Even more important, though, was the fact that all the professors at Tandon teach you to look beyond your books and into the real world; they show you that technology can really change society for the better. I have the tools to do that now.